Deeper than Indigo
by o0SummerSkies0o
Summary: A Naruto Hinata fic. Sometimes it's more than faithfulness that drives you to be with that person.
1. Revelations

Deeper than Indigo

Chapter 1: Revelations

          He didn't know when he had begun to dream of her.  It had begun so gradually and so quietly that he didn't even realize the potent hold those dreams of her had on his soul until he had seen her crumpled form on the floor, leaking chakra to the point that it was visible to even those who weren't of the Hyuuga or Uchiha clan.

          The rage that had filled him then had be so strong, so utterly consuming that Naruto didn't even realize that he had challenged the 'phenomenal genius' Hyuuga Neji until his teammate and previous love interest –Haruno Sakura; had grasped his orange clad arm and hissed, "Are you crazy?!  You just saw what he did to Hinata-san!"

          Despite the dire warning, Naruto shook off his teammate's hold, and stared coolly at the prodigy before him.  His desire to extract revenge on Hinata's behalf far outweighed what little sense of self preservation he had.  He ignored the surprised stares of his teammates- after all, not many had the courage to challenge the powerful House Hyuuga, follow through with the challenge, and hope to win.

          The fight didn't really last that long.  The countless hours of training day after day for the past several years coupled with his sharpening senses had finally come to fruitation, rendering what would have been a brutal, ugly fight with Neji emerging victor to a nigh impossibility.  It would not be the first nor the last time that Uzumaki 'Dead Last' Naruto would receive both fear and admiration for his feats.

          If asked about that fight that happened not too long ago, Uzumaki Naruto would only give a careless grin to the questioner as he replied that it was something he had felt like doing rather than the real reason, which was fear.  Fear for the fact that the girl lying on the floor was what he realized at that moment, his precious person.  The one that he wanted most to acknowledge him.

          It was after the final blow that knocked Neji unconscious that had the audience holding their collective breaths.  Whenever angry or near death, the chakra of the nine failed fox demon never failed to make an appearance.  After staring down at the unconscious form of Hyuuga Neji, Naruto had simply turned and exited the stage, ignoring the surprised looks of the audience.  The adults of the village, who knew of Naruto's special circumstances, were shocked.  Naruto had beaten Neji on his own; without any help from the demon sealed within.  Silence reigned in the arena for a full minute before conversations resumed, this time of the vessel that held the fox demon called Nine Tails.

          Naruto paid no attention to the audience.  If it had been any other type of circumstance, he would have reveled in it, enjoyed the fact that he was one step closer to achieving his dream of acknowledgement for his existence.  However, this was not one of those times because the only one he wanted to acknowledge at the moment was in the hospital bay above.

          Save for the two nurses and the doctor doing their rounds on the injured, the floor was surprisingly empty of visitors.  Naruto ignored the scents of antiseptic and medicinal herbs as he sought to find Hinata.  Faint as it was, Naruto managed to find it on his third try.

          He found her on the far corner of the hospital bay.  Pulling aside the curtain that gave some small semblance of privacy to the injured, Naruto entered.  Hinata lay on the cot, asleep.

          Unsure of what to do now that he had found her, Naruto found himself looking at anything and everything within the small 'room'.  Knowing that he probably looked suspicious hanging about, Naruto pulled the curtain back in place as he moved to sit the only chair present.  Hands on his knees and his back ramrod straight, Naruto once again found his eyes roaming around the room, unwilling to look at Hinata.  He didn't know if he could look at her again without such strong emotions overwhelming him.

          When he had seen the chakra leaking out of her in waves, something inside of him trembled.  When she had failed to get up, it had quickly turned to anger and then to determination when he faced Neji.  It was spent now that he had avenged her.  What was left in the wake of those emotions was an overwhelming sense of concern for her.  Concern that he didn't know how to express with this shy, delicate-seeming girl.

          Now that he was in the room with her, Naruto had no idea what to do.  No one was more aware of Naruto's social ineptude than Naruto himself as he tried to decide on a course of action.  He sat there for a long time, staring at the pattern of the wooden floor.

          Naruto started as he heard the bed shift.  Immediately, his eyes moved to look at Hinata, only to see her turn her back to him face the window, still deeply asleep.  Smiling now, because she had finally moved – it was a sign that the chakra was flowing through out her body normally; Naruto found that he could look at Hinata, or more specifically, her back.  Unconsciously, Naruto's hand moved up to trace in the air, the Konoha leaf pattern that was on the back of her shirt.  Still unsure on what to say, Naruto could only think: _Hinata-chan, I'm glad that you're ok._

His hand lay at his side once more as he stood up.  Suddenly it didn't seem so bad anymore.  Despite the vicious way Hinata had lost to her cousin Hyuuga Neji, she still persisted.  Despite the odds.  _Hinata-chan_ he couldn't help but realize with pride, _I like your type best._

End of Chapter 1


	2. Echoes

For Lackey_H, some things are deeper than indigo.

Deeper than Indigo

Chapter 2: Echoes

          She couldn't remember a time when she didn't dream of him.  The comforting voice, a gentle smile, that deep shade of blue.  They had begun long before she could even remember them consciously, necessary to her life as breathing was.  To not dream of him was as unnatural as seeing Uchiha Sasuke without a horde of fan girls surrounding him. 

          So it came as no surprise to her in the dream world that her cousin Hyuuga Neji had so ruthlessly cast her in, that she saw him again.  The dream was surprisingly lucid, consisting of the many things that made her life - unlike the usual furtive glimpses of Uzumaki Naruto that appeared in her dream.

          They were in the hospital room where she lay on the narrow cot and he on the only chair in the room.  He was watching the steady rise and fall of her chest as she feigned sleep.  She watched from under dark lashes, half expecting him to turn away from her in disgust; much like her father had done when it was apparent that she was not the heir that House Hyuuga needed.  Hinata was too gentle, too compassionate, and that was what made her weak.

          Uzumaki Naruto didn't.

          Instead, he continued to watch her, his back ramrod straight as he counted her breaths.  There was no expression on his face, and that worried her deeply.  It was so uncharacteristic of him to hide his emotions.  That was one of the things that she loved best about him: his ability to look at the world without a barrier to filter his feelings through.  To see him with such control, it broke her heart and made her afraid.

          Until she saw his hands.

          They lay on his knees, clenching and unclenching rhythmically as he struggled with his emotions.  That brought a measure of relief to her as she experienced a sudden insight on him.  But what had caused him to experience such strong feelings that he felt that had to contain them?  A small part of her hoped that it was because he was worried for her; but the larger, more sensible part that knew that she was dreaming, told her that it was her imagination.

          Still, she decided as she continued to observe him from lowered lashes, couldn't she control this?  This was her own dream world; surely she would be able to decide what went and what didn't in her dreams.  Hyuuga Hinata, Miss Meekness Extraordinaire, should be able to decide what the heck she wanted in her dream, and if she wanted Naruto to be worried about her, he would!

          Or so she hoped.

          He was, wasn't he?  After all, he was still in the room with her, practically standing guard over her as she slept.  Counting her breaths, he was watching her the way she always wanted him too.

          Wanting to get a better view of him, Hinata shifted on the narrow cot.  She tried to make it as natural as possible since she was supposed to be asleep.  Surprised at her movement, Naruto's gaze shifted to her face.  Hinata fought the rising urge to blush as she inwardly berated herself for her lack of control.  He would know that she wasn't asleep if she blushed.

          She could feel his gaze on her, warm and comforting as her favorite winter blanket.  He was watching her the way she often did to him –but only when she thought no one would notice.

          Hinata didn't know how long they stayed that way with her feigning sleep while trying not to blush and him watching over; but her arm was getting numb.  It made her wonder if this was a really a dream or not.  The urge to blush had never been this realistic before, or the fact that she could feel her arm getting numb.

          _Could this be reality?_ she wondered.  She could feel the blood rushing to her face once more at the thought that it was really Naruto in the room with her and not a dreamscape.  Deciding that it was best that she 'wake up' before she flushed like a tomato – she didn't want Naruto to think she was like a certain rumored closet-pervert elite tutor that resided in Konoha, Hinata shifted again, this time lying on her back before stretching luxuriously as she yawned and opened her eyes.

          Their eyes met; pale gray and deep blue.  Much to her surprise, he turned red as well.  Both looked away from one another as they sought to gain their respective bearings.  Timidly, after Hinata felt the blood in her face recede a little, she looked at Naruto again and offered him a small smile, touched at the glimpse of shyness she had never seen from him.

          Surprised at the gift of her smile, Naruto found himself grinning back at her in relief.  His hand moved up -close enough to touch her if he wanted to reach out, but stayed where it was; fingers curling so that his index was the only one out as he traced the symbol of Konoha.  Surprised, and a little curious at the gesture, Hinata's eyes flew to Naruto's face.  He was about to say something.  She leaned in closer to hear what he had to say, and blushed at the near touch of his hand against her cheek.  She was rewarded for her perseverance as she heard her name on his lips…

          In the voice of her teammate Inuzuka Kiba.

          "Hinata-chan?" came the anxious query.  Inuzuka Kiba was in the chair that Naruto had occupied.  His dog Akamaru sat on his lap, adding a whining bark to his master's inquiry.

          Disorientated at her sudden surge up from the bed, Hinata looked around wildly as she sought to gain some sense of her bearings.  At the sound of Akamaru's bark; she stopped, unaware of how she looked towards her teammates with her cheeks flushed and eyes overly bright as she realized that this was reality.  It worried Hinata's teammates, causing them to dislike her House even more since it was Neji who had caused this in the first place.  Sure Hinata tended to screw up on their missions, but it was only because she was too kind, her heart too soft.  It wasn't because she was weak or lacked talent, Hinata had plenty of that.  She just wasn't suited to the life of a ninja since she held the belief that all life was precious.  Hyuuga Hinata simply didn't have it in her to kill for profit or prestige.  And that was what made her so special to them.

          "Hinata-chan?" Kiba repeated her name again as he tried to catcher her attention.

          Trying to stave off the disappointment on her face when she realized that it had simply been a dream, Hinata answered her teammate stiltedly as she turned to look at him.  "Yes Kiba-kun?"

          Kiba didn't answer her, but moved close to take a sniff.

          Surprised and uncomfortable at such personal attention from her teammate, Hinata turned several shades of red as she pressed herself back against the pillows.  "Kiba-kun!" she squeaked, scandalized as she clutched the hospital blankets to her chest.

          Realizing what he had done, Kiba flushed as he muttered embarrassedly, "Sorry.  Soldier pill is still in effect."  He pulled back, leaving Akamaru on the bed as he resumed his seat.

          "Oh… o-okay," Hinata managed to get out.  She looked at Akamaru suspiciously for a moment before she voiced her question.  "What were you doing?"

          Seeing that Kiba was still mortified, Shino spoke up.  "He was trying to see if you were ok."  At Hinata's confused look, he elaborated.  "Kiba is still feeling the effects of the soldier pill, so he did what Akamaru would do to see if a pack member was alright."

          "Oh."

          "So are you?"

          "Am I what?"

          "Ok."

          "Oh.  Let me see."  Hinata was about to do a physical inventory of herself when Shino spoke again.

          "Why not use the Byakugan?  It's faster."

          Hinata stopped.  "Hai Shino-kun."  She closed her eyes as she brought her hands together to begin the seals that would activate her blood limit.  Dragon, dog, rabbit, tiger…  When it was done, Hinata could feel the rhythmic pumping of the veins around her eyes, signifying that Byakugan was in use.  Opening them, Hinata was about to examine her chakra pathways when she heard a gasp from her teammates.  "Shino-kun! Kiba-kun!" she exclaimed, alarmed by the noise.  "What is the ma-"

          She stopped.  

          Right in front of Hinata was a chakra signature that was as familiar to her as her own.  Lambent red and eldritch blue, the colors constantly moved, mixing into a shade that was deeper than indigo.  Hinata's eyes widened in shock.  The floating chakra signature could only belong to one person: Uzumaki Naruto.  No one else in the village could have such a perfect dichotomy of the chakra and live without any harmful effects.  As Naruto had done before, Hinata's hand reached up to trace the floating sigil, watching in fascination as her own chakra – a pale bluish white; began to mix.

          Hinata would have continued watching if it hadn't been for the cold wet nose of Akamaru pressed against her hand that was accompanied by a whine.  Startled out of her discovery, Hinata flushed when she discovered that she was the center of attention.  "_Gomen__ nasai_," she whispered, scarlet with the attention.

          "Hinata-chan," Kiba breathed out.  He moved his chair closer to the bed.  "What did you see?  Can you still," he gestured around his eyes, "you know..."

          Surprised, Hinata looked at him.  "I can see."

          "Are you sure?"  Shino was looking at her intently.

          "Hai.  Why do you ask Shino-kun?"

          "Your blood-limit, it doesn't appear."

          Shocked, Hinata's hands flew up to her face as she carefully felt about.  The engorgement of the veins around her eyes were no longer present.  Mystified at the occurrence, Hinata stared at her hands.  What the heck had Neji done to her?!

End of Chapter 2

Authors Notes:

About Hinata's dream, has anyone ever experienced being in that state of being half asleep/ half awake?  The reason why her dream mirrors reality do closely is because she was drifting in and out of the dreamworld, so reality and fantasy? have meshed.  I hope that was some what more helpful!

Please review me!


	3. Judgement?

Deeper than Indigo

Chapter 3: Judgement?

Hinata twiddled her thumbs nervously in the medical office as she quietly waited for the time to pass. Today was the day that she would receive an official diagnosis on her condition, and Hinata was especially nervous. Not only would she be finding out what had happened to her, but she would be meeting her doctor– who happened to be one of her medical idols, for the very first time. An important event since Hinata's doctor was of an illustrious bloodline, one that far surpassed her own since she was the granddaughter to Konoha's Shodaime, great niece to Nidaime, and the current Hokage as well, made 5th after Sandaime's courageous sacrifice of his life that sealed Orochimaru's ability to do ANY jutsus.

It had been a little more than three months since the disastrous chuunin exams and the village had been thrown into relative chaos. War had been declared on Konoha by the combined forces of the Sound and Sand Village and while they were rallying well, but one fact remained: Konoha was still without a leader.

Until she arrived.

Hinata gave a soft little sigh as she leaned her head back against the stiff waiting room couches. The door that led to the hallway down to Tsunade's office opened and Hinata repressed the urge to flinch in surprise. Her appointment wasn't for another half hour and Hinata had only arrived early to try and rally herself into not freaking out that she was facing her medical idol.

Thankfully, it wasn't Gondaime, but her apprentice Shizune who was whistling a soundless tune and pet pig Ton-ton. Turning to set the black pig down, Shizune was just about to leave when she caught sight of Hinata, who was quietly watching her.

Shizune suppressed the urge to sweat when she realized that she didn't even notice Hinata's presence until she had physically spotted her. There was no bright aura or 'feel' that would notify her that girl was there. If it weren't for Hinata's obvious presence in the office couch, Shizune would have missed the Hyuuga heiress completely.

"Ah, Hinata-chan!" she called out a little cheerily for her own ears. "I didn't know you were out here! A bit early for your appointment with Tsunade-sama aren't you?"

Surprised to that Shizune was talking to her; Hinata could only manage a faint nod as she felt herself beginning to flush.

"Would you like me to tell Tsunade-sama that you're here Hinata-chan?" Shizune asked kindly, feeling a bit sorry for the shy girl.

Hinata shook her head in refusal as she whispered out, "It's okay Shizune-sama. I just... I just wanted to come a little early..."

"Ah." Moving closer to the girl, Shizune sat down as she continued on easily, "Nervous of your first meeting with Tsunade-sama?"

Hinata nodded mutely.

Shizune smiled reassuringly at her. "Well, don't be. Tsunade-sama doesn't bite and she's very nice…" Shizune frowned as she remembered the beating Tsunade had given to the legendary pervert Jiraiya. "Well… she is usually is, just don't do what Naruto-kun or Jiraiya-sensei do when they're around her 'kay?" At Hinata's confused look, Shizune leaned to elaborate, her voice dropping to a whisper, as if her sensei could hear her from the distance of a hallway and three doors down: "Don't call her old or well preserved for age. She doesn't take to well to that." She smiled at Hinata's surprised giggle and flashed her a thumbs up sign. Looking up at the clock, Shizune picked up Tonton as she said, "Ne ne Hinata-chan, you'd better get going. Tsunade-sama is waiting for you." She gave Hinata a little wave before she left the office.

Feeling a bit relaxed, if not more confident, Hinata stood up and moved towards the door. Taking in a deep breath, and squaring her shoulders, Hinata opened the door, and went in.

"So you can still see the chakra pathways Hinata?" Tsunade stood directly in front of her, watching intently. Hinata nodded. "Can you see what I'm doing?"

"Hai Tsu-tsunade-sama," came the soft reply. Hinata twisted her hands nervously, still in awe of being in the same room as her medical idol. "You are directing your flow to the diadem."

Tsunade smiled. "Can you tell from where Hinata?"

"A-ano… I'm not sure Tsunade-sama. I-I see several places where it is coming from, s-some more clearly than others."

"Aa, sou ka." Tsunade moved her hand into another seal, splitting her chakra flow into two and repeated her question again when she had first begun. She watched as the Hyuuga heiress nod and noted that the girl was still fidgeting. She released another seal and stopped the flow of her chakra. Without even her asking, Hinata nodded. Tsunade began to feel worry a little, wondering if Hinata was really seeing anything at all. "Hinata-chan," she began carefully. "Are you sure you can you see still see the chakra flow?"

Again the heiress of Hyuuga nodded.

Tsunade quickly went through the motions of releasing a seal. Her chakra flow remained still. "And now?"

"All around you Tsunade-sama." As if sensing the Hokage's unease, Hinata formed the seals that would turn off her blood limit. "Is there something wrong?" she asked, outwardly calm even though inwardly she was beginning to panic. It was beginning to feel like she was before the tribunal the elders had regarding her byakugan. They had pronounced her blood limit dead and her as a useless member of the clan.

"No, no Hinata-chan. I just-"

"Please don't lie to me Tsunade-sama," Hinata whispered. "If... if I am u-useless... as the elders say... than I am useless." Hinata's head bowed as she felt grief once again overwhelm her. "I-I had hoped..." she stopped, realizing that she was not alone in her despair. Hinata stood up quickly, about to excuse herself and go when the Hokage spoke.

"Hinata." There was a hint of steel in her voice.

Startled out of her misery, Hinata looked up at her idol and saw something that the legendary pervert sennin tried to avoid like the plague when his teasing when too far: a furious Tsunade. Hinata wanted to cry, she hadn't meant to make her angry at all! Guiltily remembering her behavior, Hinata stared down at her feet as her hands began to twist nervously around themselves.

"Hinata. Look at me."

Trying to steel herself for the emotional upheaval to come, Hinata looked up and at the village leader. "Ha-hai Tsunade-sama?" she squeaked.

"I didn't give you permission to leave did I?" Tsunade asked, her voice dangerously soft.

Hinata shook her head.

"Nor did I tell you your blood limit was useless did I?"

Hinata shook her head again.

"Then you will stay here, in this office Hinata, until I give you leave to go," Tsunade said through clenched teeth, trying desperately to stamp down the urge to head over to the Hyuuga estate and beat the living day lights out of each and every one of Hinata's elders. Tsunade had never liked her peers when she was growing up, and after witnessing how Hinata had reacted to her worry, she liked them even less. "Now sit down Hinata," she ordered, "and reactivate the Byakugan. We will find out what went wrong."

Hours later, after Hinata had been sent home with her sensei Kurenai as escort, Tsunade sat in her chair sighing as she tried to figure out the puzzle that Hinata's condition presented. Sure enough, Hinata could still see chakra and the paths it took as she and Shizune tested her but it made no sense on how she could still see them after she and her apprentice has stilled the flow.

The door opened, it was Shizune with a tray containing Tsunade's evening tea. Tsunade nodded absently to her student as she still continued to ponder on Hinata's predicament. Perhaps she needed a second opinion? But who would she speak to? Not many people considered medical-nins as a prestigious job like those of the ANBU or hunter-nins.

Tsunade's train of thought was interrupted by the loud clunk of the tea cup on her desk. She looked up to see Shizune smiling determinedly as she pointedly thrust the tea in front at her. Tsunade made a face at her apprentice before she picked up the cup to drink.

The companionable silence was broken when Shizune took a seat and began to speak. "Ne ne Tsunade-sama, didn't you think it was strange that while Hinata-chan could correctly identify where our chakra flow was, she saw another?" Tsunade grunted, not really paying any attention to the young woman before her, but Shizune wasn't deterred. "Didn't you also think that it was odd that that she also asked us if we had healed anyone prior to our meeting with her?"

Her attention caught, Tsunade placed the cup down. "Now that you mention it Shizune, it was odd." Tsunade frowned. "She was even able to name the technique you used on old man Tsuyoshi this afternoon."

"Shizune nodded. "An upper level medical technique that you taught me when I became jounin."

"How did she know that? Has Hinata been given access to the jounin level medical scrolls?"

Shizune frowned as she considered the question. "I don't know Tsunade-sama. I would have to ask Kurenai to find out."

"Why don't you do that Shizune? Perhaps that would help us figure out Hinata's condition."

"Hai Tsunade-sama!" Shizune grinned. "I'll be right back," she called out to her sensei before disappearing in a puff of black smoke.

It was near noon when Tsunade had come to a conclusion: she didn't know what was wrong with Hinata but she definitely wanted to find out. It was interesting to note that while Hinata had been able to correctly identify the chakra pathways that she and Shizune had been using, she had also seen other chakra pathways used as well. The Hyuuga Heiress had also gone so far as to try and name some of the jutsus Tsunade and Shizune had been using beforehand. For a young girl who was not yet thirteen, it was impressive, especially considering that the majority of the jutsus used were medical ones. There weren't too many shinobi that Tsunade knew of that had even a fraction of the knowledge Hinata carried. Hunter-nins might have due to the nature of their jobs, but that was the darker side of the healing arts, not what Tsunade and her apprentice normally practiced.

Tsunade's thoughts were interrupted when she heard a timid knock on the door. Tsunade straightened herself up as she called her visitor in, a decision forming in her mind as she greeted the young girl.

Hinata sat across from Tsunade, hands clasped tightly as she waited to hear the results from yesterday's examination. Hinata stared at her shoes, unwilling to lose control in case the news was as bad as her family had declared. It was shameful enough that she had lost control in front of her family, she didn't need to do that once more in front of the pillar of Konoha.

"Hinata-chan," came Tsunade's voice.

Hinata's hands tightened as she squeaked out her reply. "H-hai Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade leaned forward on her desk. "Shizune and I have spent much of last night discussing your 'ailment' Hinata-chan. Despite the inconsistencies of the results, I still have not yet been able to properly diagnose you. However," Tsunade continued, steepling her fingers, "what Shizune and I have decided is that you show a rare gift for medicine Hinata. After much deliberation last night that we would like to offer you apprenticeship to become a medical-nin. What do you think?"

End of Chapter 3

Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay of my update that was supposed to happen last year. --;; So many things happened like no more internet and moving homes. But it's out now right? --;; Chapter 4 is in the works, and I hope you guys will leave a review to let me know what you think of Chapter 3 so far! I had kinda written myself into a hole and stopped with this story for a bit because I had no clue on what to do. Those emails sent to me asking for my updates and encouragements really helped! Thanks for reading my blurb!


	4. Blind

Deeper than Indigo

Chapter 4: Blind

Her vision had been sealed now for a little over a month in an attempt to 'repair' the damage that had been done to her from the chuunin exams. Hinata sat on the porch, face tilted upwards to the sun to take in the warmth of the day. It was a sharp contrast to the dark thoughts that were running amok in her head.

She had been officially cast out of her role as the Hyuuga Heiress after it had been decided that her Byakugen was too damaged to be of any use. After all, how could one counter attacks if all they saw were chakra echoes everywhere? It was confusing as hell seeing a plethora of colors that were both bright and faded as she tried to counter jutsus that were used during training sessions. Perhaps her clan had been correct in choosing the course of action that they had taken. After all, she was no more dangerous than a non-nin child, so distracted by all the chakra she saw that she could not properly pay attention to her opponent to defend against his attack.

The shock and remorse that she seen on Kiba's face was more than enough to make her want to cry in frustration. If she was unable to counter the Whirling Fang jutsu –something that she had been able to do before so easily, how could she expect herself to get stronger? Or be able to meet Naruto with pride when he came back from his training with the legendary sannin Jiraiya?

Hinata's hands clenched as she began to feel the build up of tears in her eyes. She shook her head, attempting to dispel both her oncoming tears and negative thoughts. Naruto had told her that he was proud of her for finding her ninja way. He had liked that she did not want to give up training to become stronger despite her failure to obtain the rank of Chuunin.

To be stronger. This was something that she could definitely relate to with Naruto. It was also something that she had vowed to do when he had left the village. She would become stronger so that she could change into someone better when he came back. Someone who could learn her family's secret techniques without problems or be someone that brought further acclaim and honor to her clan. Stronger so that she would never be weak as she was now. It was with that vow in mind when she had come back to the Hokage's office to answer the offer of apprenticeship as a medical-nin. With a heavy heart, she declined –much to the shock of her teammates once she had told them of what had transpired.

She hadn't been prepared for the disappointment that had shown itself so plainly on their faces or the sadness that had lingered in her heart when she thought about her declined opportunity. Taking care of people and helping others was something that she was very much suited for, but it was not something that would help her become stronger. 'Gomen' was what she had whispered before she had turned around and was helped by Kou-san to leave the training area.

She hadn't seen Shino and Kiba since then as it was apparent that they had disapproved of her decision. It had hurt to know that she would receive no support from them, but it had ultimately served to let her know that she had made the right choice for herself. Medical-nins were traditionally kept out of battle, only stepping into play if their comrades in the 3 man cell went down. They weren't meant to be strong, they were meant to support. The only one who had ever broken against the tradition was Tsunade, but even then she was an exception. She was Hokage, whereas Hinata was just a mere girl with kekkei genkai.

Everything about the current Hokage to Hinata was an exception though. Not only was Tsunade-sama an extremely skilled medic-nin and shinobi on her own right, but she was kind as well. She had taken Hinata's refusal in stride, stating that perhaps the time for her train as a medical-nin was not yet right until some time had passed and she had gotten better. The most important thing right now, Tsunade had declared to Hinata, was for her to solve the doubling vision of chakra and people. Sealing her vision had been a temporary solution, but even then it did not work to the degree that Tsunade had expected.

Her vision was now like a blind person's, but unlike them Hinata still saw chakra that was both bright and faded. It seemed that even though her eyesight was shrouded in darkness; her Byakugen was still in full effect. That much was made evident since Hinata could see Tsunade's diadem in the darkness, glowing brightly as it continuously stored up her extra chakra.

The Hokage had been initially surprised at the discovery, but ultimately fascinated by it. Never before in all her travels and experiences had she ever heard or seen anything like Hinata's case. It was due to this new unique discovery of the Byakugen that Tsunade had decided that perhaps it was better leave to Hinata without her vision so that she could at least adjust to what had happened to her. Her decision made, Tsunade told Hinata of what was to be done for her medically and of a new sensei that would be assigned to her that would help her learn to cope with her imposed blindness. She would no longer have Kurenai as a sensei, but rather a tokubetsu jounin.

End of Chapter 4

Author's Note: Thanks for the wait. Please read and review (^_^)v


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